【趣谈英语】风筝对筑桥的贡献-Boy’s Kite Helps Build Niagara Bridge

 Pre-Listening Vocabulary

 

narrow: close together

roar¹: to make a loud sound or wild movement

advantage: a better chance at succeeding

ferry²: a boat that transports people between certain points

rapids: water that moves very quickly

retrieve³: to get back again

suspension⁴ bridge: a roadway that hangs over something such as a river; each end is connected to a tower with cables⁵.

Boy’s Kite Helps Build Niagara Bridge

In 1848, a boy from New York state entered a kite-flying contest. The challenge⁶ was to fly a kite straight across the Niagara River at the narrowest point between the US and Canada. Engineers needed a rope, wire, or string to run from one side to the other before constructing a bridge above the roaring⁷ rapids. A large group of kids on both sides of the Falls accepted the challenge. Homan Walsh was American, but he knew that the kids on the Canadian side had an advantage because of the wind direction. Walsh took a ferry to the Canadian side, just below the Falls, and walked until he got to the cliff⁸ right above the Whirlpool Rapids. He waited until the winds were just right and then flew his kite across the water. Though his first attempt ended in failure, he retrieved⁹ and repaired his kite, and returned to Canada several days later to try again. On his second attempt, Walsh’s kite string made it safely across to the US side. The fifteen-year-old boy received a cash prize for giving engineers exactly what they needed to begin construction on the first suspension bridge across the Falls.

1 roar   

n.吼，咆哮，轰鸣，喧闹；vi.吼叫，大声说出，喧闹；vt.呼喊，使轰鸣

参考例句：

• He began to roar when I took the chocolate away. 当我把巧克力拿走时，他大哭起来。
• The machines roar incessantly during the hours of daylight.机器在白天隆隆地响个不停。

2 ferry   

n.渡船，渡口；v.渡运；(越海)空运

参考例句：

• You can cross the river by ferry.你可以搭渡船过河。
• We waited at the ferry for two hours.我们在渡口等了两个小时。

3 retrieve   

vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索

参考例句：

• He was determined to retrieve his honor.他决心恢复名誉。
• The men were trying to retrieve weapons left when the army abandoned the island.士兵们正试图找回军队从该岛撤退时留下的武器。

4 suspension   

n.悬挂，悬浮液，暂缓，未决，中止

参考例句：

• The local authorities decided to build a suspension bridge over the river.地方当局决定在这条河上建一座吊桥。
• A four-day suspension was imposed on her.她被勒令停职4天。

5 cables   

n.电报( cable的名词复数 )；电缆；（系船用的）缆绳；（船只、桥梁等上的）巨缆

参考例句：

• Use the crocodile clips to attach the cables to the battery. 用鳄鱼嘴夹把电缆接到蓄电池上。
• Please don't touch these metal cables inside a plastic sleeve. 请不要碰那些套着塑料管的金属电缆。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 challenge   

n.挑战；v.向...挑战

参考例句：

• The job doesn't really challenge him.这项工作不能真正地考验他。
• She looked at me with challenge.她带着挑战的目光看着我。

7 roaring   

n.吼声；咆哮；怒号；轰鸣adj.兴旺的；喧哗的；风哮雨嚎的adv.非常地v.怒吼，咆哮，大声喊出( roar的现在分词)

参考例句：

• juggernauts roaring through country villages 隆隆驶过村庄的重型卡车
• All we could hear was the sound of roaring water. 我们只能听到汹涌澎湃的涛声。

8 cliff   

n.悬崖，峭壁

参考例句：

• The cliff edge is dangerous and should be railed.崖边危险，应该用栏杆围起来。
• He took the measure of the cliff before he climbed it.他把悬崖的高度估量一下后再攀登。

9 retrieved   

v.取回( retrieve的过去式和过去分词 )；恢复；寻回；检索（储存的信息）

参考例句：

• Yesterday I retrieved the bag I left in the train. 昨天我取回了遗留在火车上的包。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He reached over and retrieved his jacket from the back seat. 他伸手从后座上取回了自己的夹克。 来自辞典例句